Last month we had the pleasure of showing the VisitBritain marketing team around NewcastleGateshead. They were wowed by the welcome they received from our partners and left feeling inspired by their two-day visit and the experiences on offer which align with their campaigns.
We were really excited when several members of the marketing team responsible for promoting England and Great Britain left their London base for two days to visit NewcastleGateshead to see for themselves what the place has to offer.
Full day with some great people from @VisitBritainBiz. HUGE thanks to @NUFC @NewcastleCastle @BlackfriarsRest @FenwickStores @balticgateshead @Sage_Gateshead @NewcastleGuides who ensured a brilliant welcome, awesome experiences and why we’re a fantastic destination to visit! pic.twitter.com/zT0OpHIYMT
— Paul Szomoru (@paulszom) September 25, 2019
On day one, they hosted a workshop for us and for the other destination marketing organisations in North East England. The event, which took place at Hilton Newcastle Gateshead, was designed to help us ensure that VisitBritain and VisitEngland are kept fully informed about all the best North East England experiences which fit with their campaigns. We wanted to make sure they enjoyed their night on the toon so afterwards we took them to Trakol for dinner and arranged for Gateshead Millennium Bridge to be lit up red, white and blue!
On the second day of their visit, we gave them a whistle-stop tour of the city, including a rooftop tour at St. James’ Park, a cooking demonstration at Blackfriars, a trip up Grey’s Monument, lunch at Fuego in Fenwick and visits to Newcastle Castle, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and Sage Gateshead.
Brilliant day exploring #NewcastleGateshead with @NGinitiative and @VisitBritainBiz – thanks for showing us some real highlights 🤩 pic.twitter.com/1eqBAl23rN
— Emma (@EmmaWilko86) September 25, 2019
The feedback we received from the team was brilliant. They were struck by the ‘one big team’ nature of our tourism industry and went away inspired and convinced that what NewcastleGateshead has to offer really fits with two of their major campaigns – I Travel For… and My Microgap.